


A man pleases a woman

by Codango



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Bad Jokes, Embarrassment, F/M, First Kiss, Sloppy Makeouts, Teasing, Tsunderes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 09:57:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4217268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Codango/pseuds/Codango
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“A compliment is a compliment, no matter who the woman is,” Elfman insisted. “A man has to be polite.”</p><p>Natsu wrinkled his nose dubiously. “But you don’t get nervous complimenting your sister. Of course it comes out right.”</p><p>“Natsu has a point,” Mirajane cut in. “Try something on… oh… Evergreen.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	A man pleases a woman

“That’s no good, Natsu.” Elfman’s roar rolled across the guild’s hall. “A man pleases a woman. Teasing is for little boys!”

Evergreen watched from her seat at the bar as Lucy stomped out of the hall. It had been an impressively bad pickup line. Immature, a little bit obscene, and of course loud enough for everyone in Fairy Tail to hear. Because Natsu.

She smirked into her drink as Natsu spluttered. _The blind leading the blind._ Elfman was hardly the best person in Fairy Tail to be taking seduction lessons from. Every bit as loud as Natsu, Elfman’s only advantage was that he was slightly older.

And he had a more mature body.

Actually, a large, well-muscled body probably went a long way in supplementing a lack of suavity.  

A girl wouldn’t really need to hear much before she’d —

Evergreen sucked in a breath. Gave her head a slight shake. _For the last time, you are not falling for some total bro just because he’s ripped! You barely even noticed him before Tenrou Island!_

Before she’d known what it was like to be held in those arms. Protective and gentle. And caring. And _ohmygod, will you knock it off do you hear yourself?!_

“How??” Elfman repeated, incredulous. “Well. Er. Compliments. That’s the way a man does it,” he managed.

“Wasn’t that a compliment?” Natsu shouted. “Comfortable-looking boobs! That’s a good thing!”

Evergreen heard a quiet groan and looked up to see Mirajane grimace as she wiped down pints behind the bar. Mirajane caught her eye and grinned. “Unbelievable,” she whispered and leaned her elbows on the bar in front of Evergreen.

Elfman smacked Natsu on the ear. “That’s not a good thing. Not for a man to say! Come here!” And he grabbed the small dragon slayer by his scarf. “I’ll show you.”

Evergreen’s eyes widened as Elfman dragged Natsu over to her and Mirajane. Elfman threw Natsu at a barstool. “You sit, and you watch,” Elfman barked. “Like a man.” The large wizard straightened and faced the two women.

Natsu rearranged his scarf with a scowl.

Mirajane’s eyebrows went up.

Evergreen could barely breathe.

“Mirajane! Your hair looks wonderful today!”

The compliment echoed across the utterly silent hall.

Mirajane bit back a laugh, and Evergreen resisted the urge to smooth back her own hair. She took a healthy swig of vodka and lime instead.

“That’s not the same thing at all, Elfman,” Natsu protested. “That’s your sister!”

“A compliment is a compliment, no matter who the woman is,” Elfman insisted. “A man has to be polite.”

Natsu wrinkled his nose dubiously. “But you don’t get nervous complimenting your sister. Of course it comes out right.”

“Natsu has a point,” Mirajane cut in. “Try something on… oh… Evergreen.”

 _Why, you little…_ Evergreen didn’t miss the barmaid’s too-casual smile. She glanced at Elfman to gauge his reaction. Her eyes widened slightly.

The tips of his ears were as pink as Natsu’s hair. The large man stared at her as though she would turn him to stone at any moment.

A smirk tugged at her lips. _Aw. Now isn’t that cute?_ Evergreen turned smoothly on her barstool and slipped one leg over the other. She leaned back against the bar on her elbows and absolutely did not miss how Elfman’s eyes dropped to her breasts, then hastily shot up to the ceiling.

“I like that.” She cocked her head expectantly. “Tell me something sweet, Elfman.” She didn’t want to drop her voice too much — Mirajane was right there — but this man had been fucking with her brain for months now. It was time for payback.

“Something… sweet?” he swallowed hard, and Evergreen tried not to clench her thighs together. “Well. Ah…” Elfman rubbed the back of his neck, stared at the floor, the bar, the ceiling.

“See?” Natsu patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “It’s not easy when it’s not your sister, right?”

“Shut up!” Elfman rounded on him. “A man can do this!” He turned back to Evergreen, and the determination in his eyes made her blink. “Evergreen! Your… that… you have the best ass in Fairy Tail!”

The echoing qualities of the guild hall were really quite something.

When she could close her mouth, Evergreen stole a glance around the room. Natsu looked delighted, Mirajane had a hand to her mouth, and the entire guild was poised to join in a fight or sprint to the hills.

Elfman looked like he had seen hell open in front of him. His face was bright red, his hair was standing taller than usual, and his eyes were locked on hers. “Ev… Ever…” he whispered. “I… I didn’t mean...”

It was the quietest she’d ever heard him.

She slid off her stool. Laid a hand on his forearm.

Elfman flinched.

“What,” she whispered, looking up at him. “You mean it’s _not_ the best?”

Evergreen faced the rest of the hall. “You heard him,” she said, her voice carrying over the shocked stillness. “The best ass in Fairy Tail belongs to me. Fight me, Titania.”

“Oy!” Erza called from the far side of the hall.

And just like that, the spell broke.

The usual chatter and cussing and laughter came back at full volume, and Evergreen slipped out of the room.

 _The best ass in Fairy Tail? What the fuck does that mean?_ Evergreen let her feet carry her mindlessly in the direction of her dorm room. _It means he’s noticed your bum just like you’ve noticed his, nothing more._

A thrill went up her spine even as she frowned. She didn’t quite know what she was feeling. Some bizarre mix of wanting to rip his clothes off and wanting to turn him to stone. _We were goddamn partners,_ she groused to herself. _He should fucking know I’m a lot more than a nice ass._

“Ever…! Evergreen!” Heavy footsteps thundered around a corner.

She turned, and Elfman skidded to a halt a few steps in front of her. He stood tall, fists clenched at his sides. Chest heaving a bit. _Where the hell does he buy shirts that size?_

Elfman held his hands up. “Ever…” he repeated, then stopped.

She crossed her arms. “Well, you’ve got my name right. That’s something.”

“I didn’t mean to say that!” he bellowed. “I never meant to say that, but you were there and everyone was staring and Natsu had this _look_ … and…” He looked at her helplessly. “And I… just wanted to…”

Evergreen made a show of glancing around. “Well, look at that. It’s just you and me right now. Did you want to try again?”

Elfman blushed under his tan. “Right… right now?” He licked his lips.

 _So not fair._ To be that masculine and that adorable at the same time. Evergreen walked toward him slowly. On one of his drunker nights, Laxus had told her she had an amazing walk.

Sure enough, she could see Elfman taking her in from head to toe. When she stood nearly toe to toe with him, Evergreen tilted her head back to look him in the eye. “Try to tell me,” she said, not quite in a whisper, “something about me. Not my ass.”

“Not your ass,” Elfman repeated. His voice was hoarse. “Right. Well, uh… oh!” His eyes lit up. “I saw your new barrel roll move when you were training the other day! That was _very_ cool.”

Evergreen’s jaw went slack. “My… barrel roll?”

“I think you were with Freed.” Elfman grinned. “It would be good as a man to fly.”

“Yeah, well, it’s pretty great as a woman too.” Evergreen glanced away. _I’m as bad as Lucy. Trying to seduce an idiot._

“You are pretty great as a woman.”

Evergreen’s head snapped up to stare at the tall man.

Elfman met her gaze, his expression serious. “That’s what I meant to say in there. I think you’re a great woman.” He blew out a satisfied breath. “As a man, I’m glad I got to say it after all.”

Evergreen couldn’t take her eyes off him. He had said it so matter-of-factly. As though he’d simply messed up earlier. As though it really should be the most natural thing in the world to say. He still looked a bit flushed, but his dark eyes regarded her simply. None of Laxus’ dark smoothness, none of Gildarts’ devil-may-care winks.

And anyway, what the hell? No one ever said Evergreen was a great woman. They said that about Erza. About Mirajane and Levy. The sweet ones who still managed to be super strong. Evergreen was happy to be the bitch at Fairy Tail, but it certainly didn’t get you complimented on your personality very often.

She felt burning behind her eyes, and she whirled around before the tears could show themselves.

“Ever?” Elfman sounded worried. “Was that wrong too? Was that… unmanly to say?”

Evergreen lifted her chin and tried for a light-hearted laugh. It sounded forced. “Wrong? Well, _I_ wouldn’t say you’re wrong. I’m pretty damn great after all.”

“That’s what I said.” She felt him move, sucked in a gasp at the feel of his chest against her back. Her hair swept gently over one shoulder, and she felt his palm, rough and large, against her bare shoulders. “Sometimes… it’s manly to cry.”

Evergreen swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m not crying. Nev–never tell a woman she’s crying when she’s not.”

A large hand reached under chin and tilted her head back. A rock-hard arm steadied her. Elfman peered around at her reddened eyes, her streaked cheeks. “I am not telling a woman who is not crying that she is crying. _You_ are crying, and I’m saying that you are.”

“You’re an idiot then.” And, leaning her head back, she kissed him.

It was feather light, over in a moment. His lips didn’t even have time to part underneath hers.

Elfman didn’t move for a while. Days, it seemed. He stared like he’d never seen her before.

It was disconcerting.

“Well. Ah.” Evergreen straightened, walked out of his arms. “I’m going to my room then. Thank you for the lovely compli—”

“Evergreen!” A hand clamped down on her wrist. “Wait, I… I wasn’t ready!”

 _Oh?_ She glanced back over her shoulder. Elfman’s ears were pink again, and his eyes were wide. _Hm._ Evergreen let her eyes travel pointedly from her wrist, up his arm, to his face. “What do you think you’re ready for now?”

Elfman licked his lips and swallowed. “I… I’m ready for you walk back to me like… like you did just then.”

Eyebrows raised, she favored him with a small smile. “You like the way I walk?” She tried not to exaggerate the movement of her hips as she closed the distance between them. “You really do like my ass.”

“A real man doesn’t lie.” Elfman’s voice was low as he tugged her to him. He tilted her chin up with his free hand.

She closed her eyes just as lips settled on hers.

She’d thought about this before, of course. Pretty much since she’d woken up next to him injured on Tenrou Island. A large hand in her hair, an arm like a tree limb around her waist.

What Evergreen hadn’t anticipated was how very… cautious Elfman would be about the whole thing. He kept his kiss soft, even after she parted her lips to sort of hint that more would be welcomed. He responded with a tug at her bottom lip, but she growled with impatience that she had to be the one to introduce a bit of tongue.

Elfman’s sucked in a surprised breath as Evergreen licked the corner of his mouth. He stilled against her. For a moment, the fairy mage wondered if she’d misstepped somehow — but then Elfman had her feet off the floor.

He grasped her ass easily in both hands, braced her back against the wall. Somehow (well, where else would she put them?) her legs wound themselves around a muscled waist.

“Elf… Elfman…” She wasn’t gasping, she wasn’t. It was just… difficult to breathe pinned against a wall like this.

He sighed against her neck, and Evergreen could swear she felt teeth. “Hey, now,” she murmured. “No marks, or I’ll be pissed.”

Did he… laugh? She felt the lightest possible nibble at her shoulder.

Evergreen slapped his cheek gently. “I said no. Don’t test me.”

“Don’t test you?” Elfman whispered. “What have you been doing to me ever since you were at the bar?” He balanced her weight easily on one arm, his free hand sliding up her ribs.

Evergreen gulped, tense with anticipation at his wandering fingers. “Ridiculous,” she hissed. “Putting the blame on someone else isn’t very manly.”

Elfman pulled back, his eyebrows raised, watching her.

She lifted her chin. “Surprise, I’ve got my own opinions about what it means to be manly.”

He took his hand from where it had paused just underneath her breast and tilted her chin up with a thumb. “You gonna share?”

His entire core contracted as he spoke, and Evergreen felt the rumble through her thighs. She swallowed a whimper ( _pretty sure he didn’t hear that_ ) and managed, “R-right. Rule number one: no teasing.”

Elfman bit back a smile. His fingers traced a path down her neck. “Number two?”

 _Fucking hell._ “Number two. If I say no, it’s no.” She adjusted her glasses meaningfully, hoping the effect was half-seductive, half-threatening. “Or I’ll make you harder than you ever dreamed of being.”

He grinned and adjusted her lower on his hips. He leaned forward, his lips brushing her ear. “Cute. I know what you meant, but cute.” He cupped her shoulder, slid a hand between her back and the wall, down, down, to press against her lower back.

She tried not to, but… the pressure and his hands and the _heat_ … Evergreen rolled her hips against him, felt the delightful friction between her legs, and there was the whimper she’d stifled earlier, _dammit_.

Elfman laughed, a low sound that she felt more than heard. “Is there a third rule to being Evergreen’s man?” His voice was a bit hoarse.

She arched her back, pressing her breasts into that tight T-shirt of his, knotted her fingers in his hair. “A man,” she whispered just over his lips, “ _pleases_ a woman.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> [@codango](http://codango.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr
> 
> [Marcella Christie](http://marcellachristie.com/) for my alter ego


End file.
